Dana Green, a bio startup specializing in cultured meat (CEO Ki-Woo Kim), announced that it has applied for a food safety evaluation with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) for its independently developed 3D edible scaffold-based fish cultured meat, marking a world first.

This application for approval by Dana Green is a critical milestone for the commercialization of cultured meat, as part of a strategy to use the clearly regulated Singapore market as a bridgehead for full-scale entry into the global market. Since establishing a local corporation in Singapore in 2022, the company has prepared for the approval process through consultations with various local institutions, including the SFA.

Dana Green's core competitiveness lies in its 3D edible scaffold technology made from plant-based proteins. This scaffold allows for the cultivation of fish cells to replicate the texture and flavor similar to actual fish meat. It is evaluated as a technology that significantly improves the texture, which has been a limitation of existing cultured meat, by forming a structure similar to actual fish tissue rather than a simple cell mass.

Efforts to secure a stable production base have also borne fruit. The Dana Green Innovation Center, a pilot plant located in Gasan Digital Complex, Seoul, has achieved successful scale-up and obtained HACCP and ISO 22000 certifications in 2024. This certifies a global standard production system capable of producing safe and hygienic cultured meat.

Dana Green aims for final SFA approval by 2026, with plans to begin distribution and sales in Singapore upon approval. A tasting event will be held locally at the end of this year to showcase the product's excellence.

Additionally, Dana Green expressed its intention to continue collaboration with its sole strategic investor, Hanwha Solutions, to create a case of mutual growth between large corporations and startups.

CEO Ki-Woo Kim of Dana Green stated, “This SFA approval application is a meaningful achievement where years of research and development lead to commercialization,” and added, “Starting with commercialization in Singapore in 2026, we will drastically reduce production costs, expand our portfolio to various livestock species such as beef and chicken, and rapidly expand into major markets such as the United States, Europe, and China based on accumulated data and strategic collaboration.”

The company plans to increase the production volume per batch from the current 2 kg to 20 kg by 2026 and secure price competitiveness by reducing production costs to about KRW 17,000 per kg through technology that replaces the expensive fetal bovine serum (FBS).

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